At Red Hook Criterium London No.1, a deceptively challenging course in Greenwich Peninsula caused splits in both the men’s and women’s races. The 1.1 km circuit featured 6 technical turns followed by wind-swept straightaways, which quickly separated the riders with both bike handling skills and high-end fitness in both fields.

In the women’s criterium a local British rider, Jo Smith, challenged and outsprinted series leader Ainara Elbusto Arteaga for the first lap prime whereby the field was immediately split into it’s first selection. A series of attacks on the backstretch kept the pace high, but it was an attack through the start-finish by Kacey Manderfield Lloyd that only Arteaga was able to follow. The pair worked together off the front while the field waited to see who would respond. Americans Ash Duban and Sammi Runnels were the first to bridge across to the leaders, making a very strong foursome. Red Hook Crit Women’s veterans Fleur Faure and Jo Celso weren’t far behind and were the final riders to make the lead selection. This group of 6 featured 4 former winners with Arteaga, Lloyd, Duban and Celso showing RHC experience as being crucial on this course. Arteaga handily won the mid-race prime with out contest. Artega, Runnels, Duban and Lloyd did most of the pulling while Faure and Celso were rarely seen in the wind on the front until the final 6 laps when Faure began her series of attacks that would win her the Rockstar Top Antagonist trophy. In the final laps Fleur took to the front of the breakaway to try and set the pace, but out of turn 6, Arteaga jumped off the wheel with 200m remaining for what seemed like a sure win. However, a surprise surge from Kacey Lloyd in the final 100m forced Arteaga to re-accelerate for a drag race to the finish. With a wheel length to spare, she held off Lloyd’s charge to take her third Red Hook Criterium win in her fourth start.

The men saw a number of new riders on the front row after qualifications. It was Brooklyn surprise finisher William Guzman, however, who set the fastest time of the afternoon at 1:27.929. With less than a second separating the top 10 riders on the starting grid, Red Hook Crit London was going to be a fast race. Off the line, the sprint for the breakfast prime was challenged by series leader Ivan Ravaioli and Mario Paz Duque whose efforts separated them from the field immediately. It was Paz Duque who took the prime, making it his 4th consecutive breakfast prime extending back to Barcelona No.2. The large field with strong riders made the narrow turns a challenge for passing, and riders already on the front had an advantage early on. RHC Brooklyn No.7 winner Thibaud Lhenry was very aggressive early in the race to take advantage of this scenario, but it was local Londoner Alec Briggs and Italian Nicholas Varani who formed the race’s first breakaway. Behind them in the field, the technical turn 5 caused a split that would remain for the race as a number of riders went down here on the third lap. Briggs and Varani were able to extended their lead to 13 seconds just before the mid-race prime with a clear track and smooth collaboration. The two exchanged a few words, and it appeared as if they came to an agreement on the prime lap as neither sprinted giving Varani the coveted award. Back in the field, the prime bell spurred American Zac Felpel and Columbian Paz Duque to bridge across to Briggs and Varani within one lap. That move, however, caused alarm in the field and American Addison Zawada took to the front to bring the gap down and neutralize the break.

The second half of the race saw the split between the front half and back half of the field extend. American Chris Rabadi missed the early split, but was one of the only riders able to bridge across to the top 31 riders as the gap swelled to a massive 45 seconds. At the front of the break, the Italians were taking charge with Roberto Barone, Daniele Callegarin and Emanuele Poli taking turns at the front to reduce the size of the group. Once again, however, it was Alec Briggs and Zac Felpel who were able to create separations at the front late in the race. Addison Zawada, who had already neutralized the earlier break, knew he had spent too much energy earlier in the race and wanted a clear line through the technical corners of the race. Amazingly, the field gave Zawada no assistance for 2.5 laps, but it allowed all of the top favorites such as Ravaioli, Paz Duque, Guzman, Raul Torres Pagaza, Augusto Reati and Lhenry a free ride until the few riders off the front were neutralized.

With one lap remaining there were 31 riders in the lead group and it was anyone’s race. Ivan Ravaioli took the front of the race with Fabio Scarazzati and Thibaud Lhenry right on his wheel. Ravaioli tried to set his own tempo through the technical turns, but out of turn 6, it was Fastest Qualifier William Guzman who we had not seen on the front in the previous 24 laps who jumped off the lead out pace set by the favorites. Guzman displayed a phenomenal finished sprint in the final 300m to take Red Hook Crit London No.1 in commanding fashion.

London saw the largest finishing field ever, with 70 riders completing the race – the largest number in Red Hook Crit history. On the challenging circuit, it is a testament to the depth of the fields that are now competing. Notably, three UK riders, Alex Blomeley, Wayne Crombie and Alec Briggs) finished in the top 25, five Italians finished in the top 10 and the top American was Zac Felpel in 8th. Of those Italians, two of them are making their first appearance in the Red Hook Criterium standings – Roberto Barone and Daniel Callegarin. American Addison Zawada was awarded the Rockstar Top Antagonist award for his efforts to chase back from an early crash, then chase back multiple breakaways.

The next round of the Red Hook Crit Championship Series is Barcelona No.3 on September 5th.